hello new to sewing ,how do i finish of a line once iv finished it so it doesnt undo on a sewing machine ,thanks ,i hope that makes sence to sombody please help .
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Yes, makes perfect sense. :)
There are several ways of finishing a seam end, but whether you bother or not depends on what will happen to the seam next...
If another seam will cross it or it's likely to be trimmed off, I don't bother to finish it at all. There's no point! Same if it'll be hidden inside a full lining or a hem.
For a seam that needs to be neatly finished, I generally reverse the stitching: press the reverse button and sew backwards for 4-5 stitches.
If it's a very fine fabric, you can knot the threads and clip them close to the stitching.
littlemiss had written this in response to
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As has been mentioned, most of the time you do nothing at all.
There are dozens of ways to secure the end of a line of stitching.
Stitching backward is the one I like the least, but there are times when it's useful.
More often, simply shortening the stitches at the beginning and end of the seam will do the trick. But beware, a too-short stitch will weaken the fabric, and in no case should you use a stitch shorter than the width of two threads of the fabric, and to get it that short, you need to sew by hand to be sure of slipping the needle between the threads instead of piercing them. (Well, except for agricultural burlap, but there you are securing individual fibers of jute, so piercing every thread may not weaken the seam.)
When the edge was hemmed before the seam was sewn, a bar tack will stop it from ripping. A hand-stitched bar tack is usually easier and more secure than a machine-stitched bar tack, but when you are zig-zagging -- as when sewing on a patch pocket -- the bar tack can be made in one stroke with the sewing. You can lower the feed dogs for the first few stitches, or begin stitching at stitch-length zero, or turn the handwheel while flipping from forward to reverse after each stitch is done, or whatever is convenient on your machine. There may be something automatic that's meant for buttonholes.
When sewing a dart, I knot the thread and tighten the knot around a pin stuck into the point of the dart to make it snug up against the fabric, then trim the ends to about half an inch. (Details at
If you decide you want to weave the threads back after you've already cut them, use a fine crochet hook, or put the needle into the fabric before threading it.
Joy Beeson
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